If you're a common user of nitrates -- commonly taken in the form of nitroglycerin for the relief of chest pain -- you could be significantly increasing your chances of developing hip arthritis.

According to a recent study involving 9,000 women, those who took nitrates daily had 2.5 to 3 times the rate of hip osteoarthritis as women of the same age who did not take nitrates. Results from the study also showed the risk of arthritis depended on the dose.

The researchers decided to investigate nitroglycerine use because it is known that cartilage cells in joints react to the nitric oxide molecule, which is released by nitrates. Beyond that little is known, according to researchers. Researchers "now need to go into the laboratory," they concluded.